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The Iduran Confederation
' '''The Iduran Confederation is a smaller, less propserous nation made up of mammalian lizards. The government is a confederation of "city-states" -- the independent sectors have a basic over-arching government to settle their differences. It considers itself neutral and isolationist, but is willing to trade. Brief History Since time out of mind, the Idurans had worshiped the 14 gods. There were always sharp divisions among the believers, as to which god what more important or more powerful, though most agreed that all 14 gods existed. The gods, they said, told them to be fruitful and multiply, and when a mathematician and an engineer designed the Beicl-Hocylict FTL drive that was exactly what they did. All the major factions on the homeworld of Idura sqaubbled over who should build the ships or fund the colonies. There was always fighting and bickering, not least over which god one followed. Each colony tried to one-up the others, by building the highest flagpole, or the most beautiful temple, or the most luxurious palace for their monarch... or the biggest military. The homeworld could barely keep hold of them and keep them paying taxes. Finally, in 2287, a tactical nuke was used on the Iduran Imperial Palace, killing all inside, completely eliminating the entire hereditary royal population, and effectively beheading the Iduran capital government. The squabbling and bickering exploded into outright political, economic, and eventually military warfare. Each religious sect, political faction and individual with a soapbox and loudspeaker blamed another or internal forces on Idura for the "blasphemous and outrageous upheaval of the natural order of things as the gods proclaimed it", as one priest put it. War raged for over two decades between and among every single colony and the homeworld as each tried to assert control. Billions died in the Great Fingerpointing. Eventually, cooler, secular heads prevailed and each of the sectors began to rebuild. A loose, overarching government was formed in an effort to prevent the horrific slaughter from happening again. The first great test for the jurisdiction of the Confederation came in 2356, when a diplomatic starship from Nova Terra arrived in Ojofu and asked to open peaceful trading negotiations. The sector government tried to leverage this advantage to the hilt, trying to become an exclusive point of entry for trade and contact with the humans. The Confederation government's dominance was cemented in great part due to the quick thinking of then Prime Minister Harkon, who almost simultaneously opened a broad videoconference with the monarch of each sector and requested each other member state's military to send their own escort fleet to protect the diplomatic envoy. The Ojofu sector government swiftly "found" it more politically wise to avoid breaking rank with its fellow sectors, and the Confederation's jurisdiction in external affairs was established. The politics of the Iduran Confederation have been complicated and dangerous for centuries, but somehow the Confederation stays together. Each city-state is ever vying for political points, leverage and money, and though there has never again been a military war between the city-states, there is always some tension between them, and the intra-Confederation economic and political warfare can get nasty. Government The government of the Confederation consists of a single house parliament with a Prime Minister elected from within the parliament; most city-states, however, are constitutional monarchies. Dramatis Persone List of Major Characters Attitude towards individuals with ESP The Iduran Confederation Parliament has not found the majority opinion necessary to develop an official policy towards ESPers, and the only official statement made was to reinforce the idea that individuals with ESP were to be considered equal to individuals without ESP in the eyes of the law. Naturally, for security, the Parliamentary Building on Idura has Altacaran null field generators on standby in case of emergency, but they are normally not activated, as some of the members of Parliament and staff security have ESP. Policy on use of nanotechnology The Iduran Confederation's policy on the use of nanotechnology is similar to that of its restrictions on the use of genetic and biological engineering and dealing with infectious agents: use is permitted so long as both a basic and appropriate level of containment and isolation is practiced. (OOC: See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biosafety_level#Levels and scale appropriately.) Examples: For something as simple and routine as, say, medical nanobots (such as those used for anti-agathics), the room would probably simply need (say) a closable door that can be charged so that it is difficult for medical nanobots to exit the room if the door was closed and charged. Individuals administering such treatments should wear basic face and hand protection and be trained in the appropriate fields. For something like construction or destruction of macroscopic objects via nanotechnology, the area in which work is to be done is to be fully contained, with all entrances and exits to the room closed and electrically/hermaticly sealed while work is being done. All work should be done by individuals trained in the appropriate fields and wearing appropriate protection. For something as dangerous as development or storage of nano-swarms used as weapons of destruction, (colloquially called gray or red goo), drastic safety measures would be expected to be taken. These include protective and fully self-contained suits for all of the (fully trained) researchers, negative air pressure filtration of the entire facility, multiple types of decontamination rooms, and interlocked airlock doors to prevent any spread of a rouge form of the weapon. Economy Inter-sector economy is only moderate, as each sector is generally self-sufficient. Tourism is a small industry. Raw Materials are a major export, and there are some worlds/sectors that are easing immigration restrictions, trying to encourage scientific, economic and technological progress. As the Confederation still has a number of developing worlds, it is open to some terraforming expertise and technology. It also imports finished goods and industrial products. Systems manufactured by most member worlds are generally known not for their cutting-edge technology but for their ruggedness, durability and reliability even under heavy loads. Finally, commercial and private nuclear power technology is a thriving industry and is also exported. Species '''Idurans' Idurans look a bit like a velociraptor. They average about 120 cm (four feet) tall and 120 cm long. Idurans are reptilian, with a bone structure that differs slightly from that of humans in which their wrist bones pivot off one bone rather than two, and their ribcages are resemble "latticework". Their lifespans tend to be longer than humans. Unlike Earth reptiles, they are warm blooded, having a body temperature slightly higher then that of humans, although they have very great difficulty operating in cold environments. Idurans have claws on their fingers and toes capable of acting as weapons. They also have very sharp teeth and what is referred to as a "tail stump", which is probably the atrophied remains of a tail lost during evolution. They have no tear ducts; crying in either sadness or otherwise was completely unheard of to Idurans prior to its encounters with humans. They have a revulsion to eating eggs, due to the similarities to their own life cycle. Ginger acts as a stimulant on Iduran physiology, and, as stated below, disrupts females' sexual cycles. Idurans can also become intoxicated from alcohol. Idurans are seasonal breeders. They are sexually inactive for all but a few weeks of the year, at which point the females become fertile and emit pheromones which drive the males into a state of arousal strong enough to overcome all other priorities. When females consume ginger, their hormonal cycles are disrupted and they become fertile and emit pheromones immediately. After sex, females gestate their fertilized eggs for several weeks. After laying them in a suitable nesting spot, they abandon them. The hatchlings neither receive nor need parental care from either parent. Religions There is no official, confederation sponsored religion, though a few of the city-states have their own official religion. Languages Iduran, Standard English. Currency Mark (or MK for the lazy). Standard SI prefixes are used for fractions or multiples of this. Technology Lags somewhat behind the galactic average, as with small city states scientific work ends up being compartmentalized. Also, given the Iduran penchant for safety, that also has tempered the rate of scientific progress, though the humans in the populations have been pushing the Idurans along so that they're not hopelessly slow. The tardiness in technology is made up for somewhat in the use of extra-redundant systems, so the ships can take rather more punishment before crippling or catastrophic failure. This is somewhat prevalent throughout the technology of the Iduran Confederation, so overall any kind of technology from this confederation is going to be sturdy (but slightly behind the times), not just the military hardware. Foreign policy Neutral, isolationist. Military Due to the state of the politics of the Iduran Confederation, the government cannot come up with the political drive needed to fund the creation of anything bigger than a Heavy ship -- the city-states are just too independent to work together on so big a project. However, due to the Iduran desire for safety, those ships that are produced are strong, durable and fault-tolerant. There may not be many of them, but they easily best the smugglers, pirates, and other local/regional space scum that the Navy normally has to deal with. The same goes for the army -- the army does not take just any volunteer. The males and females in the Army/Marines are professionals, and they are just slightly above average. This also goes for their equipment. The equipment is supposed to be the right tool for the right job, and it's supposed to bring the occupant home in one piece. Bottom line: The watchwords of the military are quality over quantity, and taking a deliberate step away from cutting corners and towards combat survival rates. Does this come at the expense of brutal efficiency? Perhaps. Also of note is that this is, at its core, a police force, not a military force. Though they have experience bringing down small drug cartels, smuggling rings, and the occasional band of pirates, they have not faced an open war or even a rebellion since the Eko Belt Miner Uprising almost 200 years ago. If the Idurans gets in a real shooting war with another major power, massive changes will have to take place. Why the need for a relatively large and well-trained police force? Because apprehending ginger-high gangs of narcotics smugglers is not a task to be taken lightly, and it happens all too frequently. Military OOB Navy Army Military Descriptions Navy A generic look at ship armament: Engagement -- Long: Missiles *Motor: Antimatter solid / liquid matter hybrid *Warhead: interchangeable chemical (warning) / nuclear (fission or fusion) / shaped nuclear (fission or fusion) / kinetic energy / antimatter / degenerate matter. *Also available: specialty, sensor, ECW and decoy long-duration missiles, duration one week Engagement -- Close: Grasers (heavy) and/or Mass Drivers (medium) and/or Lasers (light) Point-defense: Masers (heavy) and/or Lasers (light) Also equipped with grapple launchers (multiple penetration and adhesion aids) (also tractor beams on larger ships.) Shielding: Conventional tri-phase shields. Powerplant: Polywell magnetic fusion, the one in the rear primarily for propulsion, the forward one primarily for power generation. In a pinch they can be rapidly recofigured to serve either role, though of course at some efficency cost. Propulsion: plasma from the fusion drives is vented out the main engine. Sensors: E/M spectrum / subspace / hyperspace (gravitic / neutrino for larger vessels) Also sensor and ECW drones popped on AM charges, powered by high density capacitors, runtime one hour Communications: Whisker-laser or pointed subspace when EM goes to hell; radio or omni-subspace when EM goes to hell. Naturally, the active sensor systems can be used to communicate in any medium if necessary. ''Athens''-class Carrier The flat, squarish Athens-class carrier is configured for quick deployment, propelling fighters into battle through launch tubes along the underside of the ship, then jumping to safety. A large runway forms a wide strip along the "top" of the ship allowing for recovery. Dedicated force fields and tractor beams help guide fighters to a quick and safe landing. It is armed with light point defense and heavy armor, but depends on fleet support for protection during deployment and recovery operations. ''Protector''-class Destroyer The Protector-class Destroyer forms the backbone of the Iduran fleet. The missile launcher ring forms the primary long-range component of the ships weapons. Heavy grasers and mass drivers are used for close-in fighting. Powerful masers are used for point defense work. Destroyers have some extra command circuitry to assist with fleet coordination, but as a primarily police force, the Iduran Navy does not always get the chance to put these fleet-wide command features into practice. Main propulsion is provided by a polywell reactor at the very stern of the vessel. Large side vents on the reactor can allow for rapid (but ungainly and imprecise) changes in attitude, though most is done through dedicated plasma manuvering thrusters. A second reactor forward is used as a powerplant, but in a pinch either reactor can be rapidly reconfigured serve the other role, though (of course) at some efficency cost. Shielding is adequate and unremarkable for a ship of its size. ''Lancer''-class Specialized Destroyer The Lancer is an experimental class of destroyer, and its primary armament is a spinal-mounted CareBearStare particle projection cannon. The capacitor banks for the point defense weapons and mass drivers had to be removed to make room, which means this destroyer variant relies on fleet protection so it can do its job: decapitation strikes on enemy fleets and bases. The CBS-PPC is an immesly powerful weapon, punching through shielding and armor with ease to strike deep into the bowels of the enemy target. Since the CareBearStare is mounted to the spine of the ship, the entire ship must be pointed at the target, limiting its effectiveness. As usual, the Lancer is powered by fusion reactors, though the main two in this ship are of a different types. The aft fusion reactor is a polywell-style reactor, providing main drive thrust and extensive rotational mobility through side-mounted exhaust ports. The forward reactor is a tokamak ring built around the particle projection cannon, and assists with meeting the immense power requirements of the gun. Secondary armament includes a limited missile launcher ring, and dual-purpose close-range and point-defense lasers. The engineers designing the ship tried to beef up the shielding, but the margins are close, and it is possible that the ship will not be able to meet both shielding and PPC energy requirements simultaneously when the ship is under fire. ''Loyalist''-class Cruiser The cruiser is the workhorse of the Iduran fleet. Faster and more agile than the heavy destroyers, it is more suited to deal with the quickly changing situations often seen in space law enforcement work. The cruiser the usual missle launcher ring for long range engagement and pursuit, a group of slug throwers, and dedicated medium range and point defense lasers. The ship boasts enhanced sensor suites relative to most ships of its class and acts as a key intelligence and information-gathering asset in fleet engagements. ''Unity''-class Corvette The corvette, while small, nonetheless meets its role as a fast attack craft hansomely. The dual-purpose lasers handle ship-to-ship and point-defense equally well, and it sports a forward mini-missile launcher. ''Cairo''-class multipurpose specialist ship This ultralight hull has been fitted to many uses, from boarding team transport, to heavily armed VIP transport, customs ship bristling with deep-hull scanning sensors, long-range scout ship, or early-warning and electronic attack roles. Yacht Yachts are used for VIP transfer, precious cargo transfer, speedy courier, and so forth. It is rumored that some are used for active military roles, but this is, of course, unconfirmed. ''Vulture''-class Gunboat The gunboat is a two-man craft that can serve many roles, the most common being heavy fighter and escort. It can also be used for inter-system scout and lie in wait as a trap. The craft is usually armed with forward lasers, micro-missile pods and a good sensor suite and electronic warfare package, though its loadout can be customised to its mission. Falcon-class Fighter The fighter is a one-seat ship with forward firing lasers and a single micro-missile pod. It usually serves as a strike and defense fighter. It has no significant shielding capability, as it is too small for anything but the most basic of deflector shields. Army The standing army is all volunteer. As the Iduran Confederation is not often at war, they are usually put to work dealing with disaster relief, assisting local police forces with criminals, and conducting training exercises. The Elite Guard The best trained soldiers in the army, the Elite Guard performs the specialist and dangerous roles of the Army, from ceremonial and actual protection of dignitaries, to covert operations, to being some of the first on the ground in invasions, (should the confederation ever find need for one). Their primary armament is a fully enclosed powered-armor suit vaguely resembling the velociraptors of Old Earth, were someone to compare them. Its primary weapon are a pair of UV/violet lasers attached to the outside of the claw, which, while powerful in their own right, also can be set specifically to ionize the air between the suit and it's target... allowing a powerful electric current to travel down the ion channel to shock and potentially electricute the target. This also makes them usable in riot control and other situations where less-lethal force needs to be applied. Naturally, it can be outfitted with many other weapons, has various enhanced sensor systems, protects the wearer against most nuclear, biological and chemical attacks, can apply emergency medical assistance, and costs a pretty penny. Regulars The regular volunteer army. While not the Elite Guard, the regular army is certainly not skimped upon. They are equipped with the best weapons that can be afforded them, and they are taught to use them competently. While not in fully enclosing powered armor, they do have sturdy combat gear that is designed to protect them as much as possible. Category:National Information